JORDAN SPARK
Isles land high-scoring Tavares pal for Strome to kick-start offense
The first return is back, and it’s a good one.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow traded away a ton to the Vegas Golden Knights at Wednesday’s expansion draft, all in order to keep some prime assets and clear salary-cap space. Snow immediately took advantage of that on Thursday morning by trad- ing underachieving forward Ryan Strome to the Oilers in a one-forone exchange for talented winger Jordan Eberle.
“We’re excited to add a proven offensive weapon like Jordan to our lineup,” Snow said in a statement. “He brings speed and a knack for scoring not only consistently, but scoring big goals, in big games.”
The 27-year-old Eberle has had four straight seasons with 20-plus goals, putting up 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 82 games last season. The first-round pick (22nd overall) is also friendly with Islanders captain John
Tavares, who is going into the final year of his contract and is holding the franchise in the palm of his hand as he decides whether to sign an extension (he can do so beginning being July 1).
“John is a generational player,” Eberle, who played with Tavares for Team Canada in both the World Juniors and the World Championships, said on a conference call. “He thinks the game at a very high level. Obviously he’s the leader of that team. I’m excited to get an opportunity to hopefully play with him and hopefully bring some success to the Islanders.” Eberle is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, grew up an Oilers fan and was very appreciative for the chance they gave him. He also was appreciative of the contract they gave him, which carries a $6 million salary-cap hit through the next two seasons before reaching unrestricted free agency.
Having been mentioned in trade rumors for some time, Eberle called it “a bit of a relief” to finally be moved. He said he didn’t know a lot about the Islanders’ tenuous situation with Barclays Center or a possible upcoming relocation, but he did understand that there was going to be pressure skating alongside Tavares in Brooklyn.
“There’s always pressure, no matter what situation,” Eberle said. “The NHL is a tough league to play in. For me, you have to be confident in your ability and confident that you can be in a top-six role. I think I’ve shown in the past that I’ve been able to score in this league, and I’ve had previous chemistry with John and played with him. He’s a very intelligent player and I think the way he plays suits my game.”
This was also the end of the line for the Islanders and Strome, who they took with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft. After going back and forth between the Islanders and the minors, the 23-year-old struggled to find consistency at both ends of the ice. He managed 126 points (45 goals, 81 assists) in 258 career games, and leaves with a cap hit of $2.5 million for this season before becoming a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
Snow set this all up by giving Vegas a first-round pick (2017), second-round pick (2019), defensive prospect Jake Bischoff, all while unloading the $5 million contract of Mikhail Grabovski, in order for Golden Knights general manager George McPhee to pick third-string goalie Jean-Francois Berube in the draft. It saved a player like Strome from being picked, and now Snow has flipped him for a high-level talent his team desperately needed.
With the first round of the amateur draft coming Friday in Chicago, Snow might not be done making moves — but he is certainly off to a good start.